These Lives We Cherish
by MiravsStella
Summary: A series of one-shots following the cast of Pokemon, and their lives in New Bark Town- where romance, family, and friendships to last a lifetime are formed.  All sorts of pairings, slight AU.
1. Rainy Day

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Pokemon. At all.

Title: Rainy Day

Characters: May (age nine), Drew (age nine), May's Torchic

Pairing: May/Drew

Summary: When it rains, May has to use all of her creativity.

* * *

"Well, I guess that this is the best we're going to have to do with," sighed the petite brunette as she slumped on her bed. She plopped her duffel bag on the cerulean comforter, which matched her eyes. Her dress was simple: an orange tanktop, a green bandana, and a white and orange skirt complete with a black belt. Her feet were bare; she'd just been playing volleyball in the front yard, and she preferred doing so barefoot.

Rain pattered softly against the window, blurring the view of the neighborhood of New Bark Town, which was currently blanketed in a gray light, due to the sun being blocked out. The old, Victorian era houses lined the streets, partially hidden by the enormous, ancient trees that were planted at irregular intervals in front of the homes. May Haruka looked about her room, taking in every detail of being at home- the white washed walls, the dark brown wood of her dresser, the little green rug that sat on her floor, and the squishy blue reading chair that was in the far corner. She liked that it wasn't huge, but not cramped either.

At nine years old, her mother always told her it was a relief that she hadn't reached the age at which girls began becoming obsessed with propaganda in their rooms; May's life was still filled with the simplicity of growing up in a small neighborhood- where everyone knew everyone, and they were almost always spending time outside. Of course, there was always time for her first pokemon friend, Torchic. She smiled at it, as the little bright orange bird chirped at her, perched on her bed beside her. He pulled a pout on his face.

"I know you don't like the rain, Torchic," she said, reaching out a hand and stroking the downy feathers on the top of his head. "But we're going to have to wait for it to stop."

"May, I'm bored," grumbled the room's other human occupant. She sat up, looking inquisitively at her friend, Drew Shu. He flicked his bright green hair out of his matching eyes, which were currently trained on her. He wore a simple black t-shirt and gray baggy shorts, and he sat cross-legged on the floor, scowling up at her. "I thought your brother had a Gamecube or something."

May sighed. "Honestly, is all boys can think about video games?" she asked, cocking her head at him. A pout appeared on his face, and she had to resist the urge to giggle at the sight; Drew never pouted, except around her. Still, a smile of some sorts must have appeared, because he immediately glared at her.

She held up her hands in defense. "Look, I would let you play it, but he's always using it." They had been facing off which her volleyball when the storm began, forcing them to retreat inside the Haruka residence. Drew had complained at first, but May had convinced him to stay over a little longer.

Sudden, she shot to her feet as an idea struck her. "I've got it!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Before Drew could say anything, she hurried out of the room, before returning a few moments later with a small kit in her hands. May grinned broadly at the green haired boy.

"Makeovers!"

She chose to ignore the look of complete outrage and despair that flooded his expression. "_May…_"

"Pleeeasse, Drew?" she asked, kneeling in front of him and shoving the package in his hands. "My mom won't mind, she never uses makeup anyway." Before he could give it back, she pulled away, plopping herself on the stool in front of her vanity. "Me first!"

"May, if I were Dawn, then maybe I would," he snapped. "Guys don't do this!"

"Oh, come on," she replied, rolling her eyes. "You know I won't tell anyone, it'll be our secret! Besides, we don't have anything better to do."

Just then, the little flame chick chose to chirp in precisely the same tone that May had used. She laughed internally at how the boy in front of her looked between her and the little pokemon, before sighing and opening the kit. She couldn't help but wonder if he would do a good job on her, or if she'd looked like a raccoon once he was finished. Of course, there was the possibility that he'd do that on purpose to annoy her…

"You're fidgeting. Hold still," he muttered, holding the eye shadow brush awkwardly. She felt the heat lightly touch her cheeks as she realized how close he was to her- although if he was flustered, he certainly didn't show it.

After several minutes of Drew telling her to be quiet, or to stop moving, or to not distract him, he pulled away from her. "Done."

"Nu-uh."

"I said I'm finished, May," he said, scowling at her. "Seriously, haven't I done everything?"

She just smiled and shook her head, pointing at her mouth. "Lipstick, Drew."

"No."

"Aw, come on."

"No."

She turned away, glaring at the wall in the way every nine year old does when they don't get their way. "Fine," she said, before popping up from her seat. Reaching up, she placed her fragile hands on Drew's shoulder, seating him on the stool, despite his pleading eyes. She noticed him look over at her Torchic with a look that said, "Save me now."

Torchic took one look at his predicament, and collapsed on the bed in a fit of cheeping laughter.

May put her hands on her hips, biting her lip and studying Drew's face intently. She knew that black eye shadow would probably bring out the green in his eyes the best… or would blue work better?...

Shrugging, she grabbed the brush from her mom's makeup set, and got to work.

It took several minutes of debating to choose what she needed to use- the color, the brightness, all were things she took into account as she tried to make Drew look… what? Beautiful? She nearly blushed, thinking quietly to herself that he was already beautiful. Weren't all best friends supposed to think that of them?

"All finished!" she chirped, swiveling him around to face the mirror, before remembering that she hadn't even gotten to look at herself yet. They stared at themselves for a moment, before both fell to the floor, convulsing with mirth. May gasped for breath; she hadn't seen anything so funny in ages.

She heard smaller footsteps, and turned to see her brother, Max, standing in the doorway of her room. His glasses were no longer on, and he squinted for a moment.

"Mom! Why are there two raccoons in May's bedroom?"


	2. Belong

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Title: Belong

Characters: Dawn (age four), Barry (age five), Silver (age five)

Pairings: None

Summary: Silver isn't sure that he knows the meaning of the word, 'family'.

* * *

The day was entirely in contrast to his mood.

The sun's golden rays decorated the boutiques that were on either side of the street. People strode up and down, laughter and conversation hanging in the air, giving the air a general homely feel. However, the aura around one red haired boy was anything but cheerful. He glared at the sidewalk, his eyes narrowed to slits so that only a small sliver of scarlet peered through. He ignored the cold wall at his back, the way his legs ached from being in the same position all night, and the pitying looks with which people glanced at him.

Silver was aware that he must really look terrible. He knew that his sweater was ripped and torn in places, and his skin was unearthly pale. He felt the gnawing hunger that never left him in his stomach, and yearned for something to eat, though he would never admit it. He just wanted to be able to sleep, but was denied even that simple comfort, since the chill in the air just wouldn't let him rest.

"Hey! Hey, Mom! Look at this guy!"

A pair of orange eyes were suddenly directly in front of him, as a small blond boy waved his hand in front of his face. "Hello… is anyone in there?"

"Barry, stop being so rude!" scoffed a girl's voice. Silver still didn't look up; why couldn't these people just leave him alone? He didn't need their pity.

"Shouldn't we help him, Mom?" asked the boy, sounding more curious than worried. He heard a woman sigh, before he heard a shifting that meant someone was kneeling down in front of him. A hand, so gentle that he nearly tensed up with shock, slowly lifted his face so that his eyes met the dark blue of the woman's.

She smiled tenderly at him, a gesture of kindness that he didn't know was possible. "Do you have a family?" she asked him softly. He felt his throat constricting; he couldn't open up to this woman. He couldn't open up to anyone… that was what his father had taught him. All he could do was shake his head. It would be obvious he was lying if he said yes.

"Oh, so he's like me?" squeaked Barry, his eyes shining with excitement. "Maybe you can take care of him too, Mom! Just like you took care of me instead of leaving me with those icky orphanage ladies."

"Barry!" the girl admonished him again. "Those ladies were really nice, and they cooked good food, too. I know they weren't nearly as good cooks as Mom, but…"

"They smelled weird!" he protested.

Curiosity got the best of him now, and he peered around their mother- for that was who she had to be- to get a look at the third member of the party. It was a short girl, wearing a pink shirt and white Capri pants. Her navy blue locks hung at her shoulders, and her eyes were a crystal blue, much like people said the sea was. She noticed him staring at her, and gave a little 'eep!', her eyes widening in surprise.

"Now Dawn, he's not going to hurt you," said the woman, turning to look at the girl. She nodded, but still inched a little closer to Barry, who snickered at her fearfulness. She shot him an indignant glare, and Silver felt a little pang in his stomach that had nothing to do with hunger.

"Would you like to live with us?" asked the woman, holding out her other hand. He heard the added humor in her voice when she said, "I promise that Dawn and Barry won't bother you _too_ much."

At first, he was too astonished to say anything. Was this woman really naïve enough to just let him into her family, just share the caring she already clearly had for her two kids (one of which, he deduced, was already adopted), and actually feed him? He was nearly overwhelmed by this concept, but there was complete sincerity in her voice and eyes, which he noticed were slightly darker, and warmer, than her daughter's. Could she really just ask him that simple question, not even worrying about the consequences it might have on herself.

Still, he was only five, and some of the fear a child gets when being alone was still in a tiny portion in his brain. Some part of him yearned for someone to nurture him, and care for him. Automatically, he gave in to his neediness, and he whispered, "Okay."

His voice sounded like a dry wind; he hadn't spoken aloud in days, he realized.

The woman- somehow, he just couldn't think of her as his mom- nodded, and looked over at Barry and Dawn. "We're going back home instead of the park, kids," she said, still having the kind tone he'd heard before in her voice. "I want you to help him along, but if he can make it on his own, then don't bother him. Give him space; he may need it."

He suddenly felt obliged to speak up again, louder this time. "Silver."

"What?" the woman asked, smiling at him again. That smile brought a tiny one onto his face too.

"My name… it's Silver."

Gently, she grasped him under his shoulders, lifting him into a standing position. "That's a wonderful name," she said. Barry rushed over, eagerly allowing the red head to drape his arm around his shoulder. Dawn was slightly more hesitant, but in the end he felt her support on his right.

At once, the blond boy began talking.

"Wow, Silver, that's such a cool name!" he gushed, his mouth moving faster than he'd even thought was possible. "I mean, Barry's a better one, of course, but it's still awesome!"

"Stop being so mean!" snapped Dawn. She blinked once, then glanced at him, looking uncomfortable. He could tell that he put the girl on edge, but he could barely walk, despite the fact that he hated looking weak to these people.

They soon left the busy streets, eventually coming upon the more neighborhood part of town. It occurred to Silver that he didn't even know the name of the place, but that didn't bother him too much. They arrived at a large house, which had gray stones making up most of it. The woman unlocked the front door, and they all entered to a nice, cinnamon smell.

"I hope that the scented candles don't bother you," she said, shutting the door behind her. At once, panic began to fill him once again as the concept of being trapped in that place came into his mind. He began to thrash weakly in his adopted siblings' grip, trying desperately to get away.

"Mom, he's being all restless," said Barry, tightening his grip. Silver winced slightly at another hunger once again growled in his stomach. A hand flew to the woman's mouth.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "How horrible, I forgot how hungry you must be. Dawn, go in the kitchen and fix him some oatmeal, please."

A somewhat wicked gleam appeared in the girl's blue eyes. "I can use the microwave?"

Her mother sighed. "Yes, dear, but please don't try to make anything explode. Barry, why don't you show him to the extra guest room upstairs? That can be his room, from now on."

"But Mooom, where will Leona sleep when she comes over?"

"She'll have to bunk in Dawn's room," responded their mom. Silver still didn't seem capable of thinking, 'my mom'. It didn't compute in his mind. There was no doubt that she was being incredibly kind to him, taking him in, but he'd had a mom before. This wasn't the same person.

The day passed by like a dream- he ate his oatmeal, feeling more full than he ever had, and then chose to sleep, even though it was only six o' clock. He was exhausted, feeling as though he hadn't slept in days.

The door creaked, and both Barry and Dawn slipped in, still in her shirt and Capri pants. She sat on the floor next to his bed, staring up at him with shameless intrigue.

"Mommy says you're hurt," she said at last, in a hushed voice.

He met her blue eyes with his own scarlet ones, wondering what she was getting at. "I'm not hurt," he whispered hoarsely.

She gave him a solemn look, her expression sad. "Not out here," she said, gesturing to her entire body. "She says you're hurt in here." He looked to see her index finger pointing at the spot where her heart must have beat.

Seeing that he didn't respond, she reached out and grabbed his hand, offering a shaky smile. "Don't be sad!" she said, more cheerfully. "Mommy, Barry and me'll take care of you. I promise."

Barry nodded enthusiastically. "Me, too."

Silver looked at both his siblings, realizing that he was one of them now- he was their brother. He always would be.

Content with that fact, he allowed his eyes to slide closed, finally getting a proper rest.


	3. Au Cafe

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

Title: Au Café

Characters: Misty (age 17), Leaf (age 16), Gary (age 17)

Pairings: Leaf/Gary, implied Ash/Misty

Summary: People-watching can be a quick escape from awkward situations. Especially for Misty.

* * *

Misty took out her small vanity mirror, checking to make sure that her side ponytail hadn't fallen out too much. A few orange strands were visible, but otherwise the hairstyle remained intact. She snapped it shut, placing it back in her black leather purse, looking everywhere but the other occupants of her table.

The warmth of the day washed over her, and she wished that she could relax, but the tension in the air was too obvious to her. She folded her arms, staring out across the street to where the many residents of New Bark Town strode in the beautiful afternoon. The sky was absent of clouds, and numerous Pidgeys flew about the place, calling out to each other. Misty fidgeted with one of her poke balls, wondering if she should make an excuse to get away for a few moments- perhaps the bathroom would do.

Finally, she was no longer able to resist, and her eyes slid over to the other two. Leaf and Gary didn't seem capable of doing anything except look down at their iced coffees and avoid each others' gazes. She felt a twinge of annoyance at Leaf, who had practically begged her to come along and supervise their date. Being the kind, understanding person she was, Misty agreed.

By now, the silence had become so horribly weird, she was beginning to wonder if her presence really made anything better. Misty looked away again, feeling agitation and impatience crawling under her skin.

She couldn't understand why Leaf was so worried; she looked great, in a lilac, spaghetti strap sundress with a darker sash around the middle. In her opinion, it fit her metallic brown hair and gray eyes perfectly. Misty had noticed several boys' heads turning as they passed on their way to Café Chiquor- a nice enough place, but not too fancy that you couldn't go there casually. Gary himself simply dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a dress shirt.

An odd looking man caught her eye, wearing an eye patch over his left eye. On his shoulder sat a Chatot, which seemed to shriek and fly in the face of anyone who came too close. Misty pressed her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud, and causing anyone to stare in her direction.

And there! She'd spotted a three year old girl, glancing up at her mom quickly before shamelessly sticking her finger up her nose. Misty really had to hold in her guts this time, even though she knew that she shouldn't be laughing at some little kid. Not five yards from the girl, she noticed a few of her friends walking along and chatting- Dawn, May, and Marina, all of whom were laden by shopping bags labeled with the many stores that were available in New Bark. Behind them trailed the new girl… Misty couldn't remember her name, but she knew that the girl was Khoury's cousin. She could sympathize with her, as she looked desperately like she wanted to run as fast as she could from the other three. Clearly, shopping wasn't really her thing.

Another raucous laugh drew her attention, and she saw Ash Satoshi striding along, chatting animatedly to two of his closest friends, Dent and Shooti. Shooti smirked at something Ash said, while Dent merely smiled pleasantly. Ash then said something jokingly to his Pikachu, which sat on his shoulder as always.

Misty stared at him for a long time, until he rounded the corner to turn onto Dratini Avenue, and vanished from her sight. She had to admit that he looked quite handsome, with his hat turned around. She forced it down immediately, convincing herself that she thought nothing of his overly bright, cheerful personality. Still, his determination was admirable, in her opinion. A soft sigh escaped her, and she nearly slapped herself for sounding like a love-struck ninny.

It didn't surprise her to see so many people she knew; the town was the type in which everyone knew everyone, and no one was left out (well, maybe excluding Silver, but he usually seemed to prefer it that way). Everyone loved to be out and about, enjoying the weather on a day like this.

She returned her eyes to the street, chortling quietly when she spotted yet another person she knew, a certain blond haired boy, yelling at a shell-shocked looking Iris and no doubt demanding a fine for bumping into him. Sure enough, Iris was right back on her feet, shouting back just as loudly before stomping away. Her Kibago popped up her in hair to stick his tongue out at the orange eyed boy.

"Excuse me," came the voice of the plump waitress, who directed her attention back to the small menu in her hands. Her head turned quickly enough just in time to catch Leaf and Gary pulling away from each other, their faces now a deep shade of burgundy.

Misty hid her smirk behind her menu, before informing the oblivious waitress that she just wanted a plain croissant. Note to self: she thought. When next finding yourself in an awkward situation, try people watching. It helps.


	4. You're Welcome

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Title: You're Welcome

Characters: Lyra (age 16), Lyra's mother, May (age 16), Zoey (age 16), Silver (age 17), Maylene (age 23)

Pairings: Lyra/Silver

Summary: Lyra Kotone could care less about moving to some random small town, where people probably wouldn't like her anyway. After all, how different could it be from Goldenrod City?

* * *

The only thing she could feel was her hand pressed up against her head, propping it up as she watched a blur of green and brown rush by through half-closed eyes. She could practically feel her mother glancing at her every two seconds; worry was emanating from her in thick waves. Lyra didn't really care, as her mom tended to go over the top with everything- and that included paranoia.

For the millionth time since they'd even gotten on the bus, her mom said to her, "Lyra dear, are you sure you don't want to go clothes shopping when we get there? Look at those old overalls, really; you're 16, you should really be showing an interest in proper fashion by now!"

"This is proper fashion, Mom," she responded, not caring how exasperated she sounded. "No one else I know has a problem with it." Her face nearly twisted into a bitter smile at the irony of it; there really wasn't anyone else in her life. Goldenrod City might have been a huge place, full of expensive department stores and hangout where all the kids at her old school went, but she only ever ventured to the park, and nowhere else.

New Bark Town… that was what the little residential area was called. Secluded, and yet society there was supposed to be especially refreshing. The only reason why more people didn't live there was because no one ever seemed to think of it.

* * *

The next morning found Lyra in her new room, which had dark green walls and a small, twin bed. She actually thought that it suited her perfectly, as she loved the color green. She felt a twinge of nervousness at it being her first day at New Bark High, despite the number of times she told herself that their opinions didn't matter. She looked in the mirror, noticing her hazel eyes staring dully back at her. Her brown hair was chopped off messily at the ears, and she ran one hand through it, before deciding that she should at least brush it.

Her outfit was the same as always: a pair of worn out overalls, worn over a plain red t-shirt. No doubt she would be receiving critical comments on her choice of clothing (she always did), but she was prepared for that. Ignoring such things had been something she'd mastered ages ago.

The walk to school was uneventful, but she found she preferred the atmosphere of New Bark to Goldenrod. The morning air was crisp and cool, and there was mostly silence from a town that was still mostly asleep. Lyra was glad that there was a forest not too far away. Living in the big city meant that she rarely saw nature back at her old home.

Even if she was certain that no new friends would be made, she was glad to be living here.

* * *

"Why, good morning everyone!" cried Maylene, beaming in her brilliance, her pink hair flying. Lyra felt increasingly uncomfortable as most of the class had their eyes trained on her, curiosity on their faces. "As you can see, a new student has just arrived here; please join me in welcoming Lyra Kotone!"

Lyra just stared at the floor, refusing to look up at the few claps of acknowledgment that came from the students. She knew that she must have looked like a moody tomboy, but that was fine with her. If it got people to leave her alone, then that was just as well.

"You can sit anywhere."

Lyra nodded and instantly strode towards the seat in the very back of the room, falling into the chair and placing her plain, brown book bag on the floor next to her desk. Most people returned their attention to the front of the room, although one girl was still staring at her. She fidgeted a bit, scowling down at her pencil case.

"Your first assignment is…" trailed Maylene, doing a twirl beside the teacher's desk. She suddenly seemed to conjure a stack of papers out of thin air. "A quick worksheet on the fundamentals of gym battling! I want you to pair up, and don't forget to include everybody."

Lyra winced inwardly; somehow, she just knew that this comment was directed at her. Well, then she'd pretend that she hadn't heard; while everyone milled around the classroom, chatting good-naturedly and quickly forming partnerships, she stayed seated, not even bothering to get up. Who would-

"Hi!"

She glanced upward in surprise, to see the same girl who'd been watching her before. The girl was a brunette, though her hair was lighter than Lyra's. She had a blue bandanna around her head, and wore a half-sleeve jacket that was dark purple. Her skirt was black, and fell to her knees. Lyra noticed aqua colored flip-flops as well. Still, the girl seemed sincere; her blue eyes didn't hold any cruelty.

"My name's May," she continued. Lyra nodded in reply, and, taking this as an invitation, May sat down beside her. Lyra refused to make eye contact with her, thrusting one of the two papers that Maylene gave them at her.

"Thanks," said May, clearly taking her sour attitude in stride. She looked back over at Lyra again, smiling, before it faltered slightly. "Hold on…"

Lyra had to admit that she wasn't sure what was up with May. This time she lifted her eyes to May's blue ones, raising an eyebrow.

"Aren't you that girl who sided with the boys in that giant snowball fight?"

Of all the questions that Lyra had been expecting, that had certainly not been one of them. "Yeah, that was me," she said, not caring if she sounded challenging. "My cousin, Khoury, said that a girl wasn't good enough to be on his team. I showed them."

May looked doubtful, but she didn't say anything more on the subject.

By the time lunch rolled around, Lyra was sufficiently dead bored. The teachers were significantly more energetic here, but for her school didn't mean anything. Her social status would most likely keep her from doing anything good enough with her life. She looked around for the emptiest lunch table around, quickly sitting down. At the other end, a group of boys stopped talking suddenly, each one of them turning their heads to stare at her. She smirked a little, looking up and meeting the gaze of each of them head on, challenging them to ask her to leave. They all seemed to shrug, and returned to talking and laughing.

"Oh, hey there; you're Lyra, right?"

Another girl wondered who she was? Sheesh, she was weirdly popular that day. The red haired girl sat down across from her with a tray of pasta, studying her thoughtfully, before grinning. "You're a tomboy, aren't you?"

Another question that completely shocked her. Most people attributed her anti-social personality, the way she trained her pokemon, and her taste in fashion to weirdness; no one had actually considered that she might just be a tomboy.

Which happened to be exactly right.

"Yeah, I am," she replied, smiling a little.

Zoey grinned even wider. "Awesome, me too!" she exclaimed. She then chuckled a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "At least I used to be… my friend Dawn got me into girl clothes a while ago, and I'm a coordinator. Still, you could never get me into a dress! Arceus, but those things are terrible."

Lyra felt a grin creep onto her face as well. "Tell me about it," she said, suddenly feeling as though the day was much better. At last, someone she could at least relate to! Now she knew that her mother had made the right decision to move to New Bark Town. Maybe things really would be different here.

"By the way, aren't you the one who sided with the boys in the snowball fight a few years ago?"

Lyra's grin quickly turned into a scowl.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. Five boys had challenged him to a gym battle, all of whom lost completely, and now Maylene was asking for volunteers on the girls' side.

Not one of them was raising their hand.

Lyra wondered if these girls had any nerve at all, or if they were all just coordinators. Maylene asked yet again, and still not a single person answered. The opponent-to-be, Silver, stood on the battle field, a dark look on his face as he stared up at the stands, as though daring someone to face him. Lyra could hardly believe that girls would chicken out just from that.

"I'll ask one more time: will anyone challenge Silver?" called Maylene, doing a twirl from the announcers' box. Her posture drooped slightly as no one responded to her pleas, and Lyra finally had to put her foot down.

She stood, and without even waiting for Maylene to call on her, hurried down to the steps to the other side of the field. The dry dirt was already smudged over from previous battles, but she didn't care really.

"All right!" cheered Maylene, sounding relieved that someone had stepped up to the plate. "It looks as though our new student, Lyra Kotone, will be facing off against our defending champ, Silver! Good luck you two, and Roark will be refereeing."

"Each side is allowed one pokemon," called out Roark (who apparently specialized in rock types). "Once that side's pokemon are unable to battle, the other side wins. Miss Kotone, the challenger, has the first move."

Lyra felt her focus tighten all on its own. This was her element, where she belonged. She could already feel that oneness she had with her pokemon, and chose a ball from her belt without even looking.

"Typhlosion!" called Silver, his voice full of that same expectation and anger that she'd heard before. The green and white pokemon allowed fire to blaze from its shoulders, roaring at her from across the field.

"Be ready, Dragonite!" she shouted, throwing her pokeball in the air. The majestic creature appeared, its own gaze just as sharp and focused as Lyra's own. She looked back at her, and Lyra gave her a confident nod. The message was clear enough, and Dragonite smirked as well, turning back to her opponent and baring her teeth at Typhlosion.

"Begin!" bellowed Roark.

"Dragonite, Outrage!"

Just as fast and precise as she'd always been, Dragonite let loose a blast of bright red energy, which shot straight towards Typhlosion with enough force to at least knock it back into Silver.

"Dodge it!"

Incredibly, the Typhlosion jumped up, out of the way of the hit; Lyra made a mental note that its speed had little to do with its size. Two could play at that game.

"Use Fly!" she called out. Dragonite obeyed, launching herself into the air and colliding head on with her adversary. She quickly smashed the fire pokemon into the ground.

"Pull up, Dragonite!" yelled Lyra. She pumped her powerful wings and soared away again. Lyra smirked in triumph, and noticed Silver scowling across from her.

"Typhlosion, use Fire Spin!"

Lyra hid a glare as she watched helplessly while Dragonite was encased in a vortex of flame, howling in pain. She wasn't about to stand for it.

"Use Draco Meteor!" she called up to her dragon pokemon. "As soon as the first one hits the ground, spin and use Outrage!"

A single sphere of light was launched above the vortex; it was powerful, so clearly his Typhlosion was exceedingly tough. Lyra could see, however, that it still wasn't nearly as tough as her own. They would get through this. She didn't just believe that; she knew it.

The sphere exploded, releasing tiny fragments of it at lightning speed. The Typhlosion roared as it was hit by many of them, taking a lot of damage. The flames surrounding her pokemon quickly turned a darker red before they were pushed away completely by Outrage, with her dragon spinning like a powerful dancer in the middle.

For a moment, time was still; her Dragonite in the middle of a cacophony of colors and noise, the instrument of it all, and Lyra knew that this was it.

"Hyper Beam!"

The yellow light poured from her dragon's mouth, enveloping the fire pokemon so that for a moment, everyone was blinded by the attack's caliber. The next thing she saw was Typhlosion, unconscious, on its side.

Dragonite landed gracefully, turning back her and smiling. Lyra smiled back, sharing a few precious moments with her pokemon, before saying, "You were amazing as always, Dragonite. Return."

And her pokemon disappeared into the red light. The Typhlosion did the same, and the red haired boy turned and walked quickly out of the stadium. There was almost complete silence, before applause began to ring out, from both sides- on one, led by her cousin Khoury, and on the other, led by Zoey and May.

Lyra barely heard it, though; she was too busy hurrying after Silver, wondering why he wouldn't say anything to his pokemon.

"Hold on!" she called, as he headed for the school's entrance. He ignored her, still walking along. Finally she caught up, grabbing his shoulder. He shook her away violently, causing her to stare at him.

"You should at least accept defeat gracefully," she said dryly, making him pause a moment. "And you should've said something to your Typhlosion; it's a tough opponent."

He spun around so suddenly that she nearly took a step back, but she held her ground. "Why do you care?" he spat, his scarlet eyes blazing.

"I don't need a reason; I do what I want," she said coolly. She shoved her hands in her pockets. Suddenly, she remembered.

She remembered that she was an outsider. A nobody. And now that she had shown her prowess to the entire school, people would hate her even more so. Just like this boy right in front of her.

"Whatever," she muttered. Suddenly, the urge to just go home and stay holed up in her room was much stronger. "You aren't the only who can be all sulky, ginger."

She threw in the taunt purposefully; it felt good to be the one teasing, for once. Silver just stared at her, the hate now on his face quite clear.

At the exact same moment, they both spun on their heels and walked in opposite directions.


	5. Deadly Sin

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Title: Deadly Sin

Characters: Dent (age 14), Iris (Age 13), Shooti (Age 13), Marina (age 13)

Pairings: Iris/Dent

Summary: The morning time before school begins can be one of the most dramatic moments of all.

* * *

Dent was the picture of a polite, well-mannered boy. Growing up in a strict household, both his mother and father had taught him proper etiquette and manners, as well as how to dress properly and be social with others. His unusual formal manner and clothing didn't really prevent him from forming solid friendships; Ash, Shooti, and Paul were prime examples of that, as well as several others around his age.

The doors of New Bark Junior High were still locked, as it was only seven forty five in the morning. The school's first bell didn't even ring until eight o' clock sharp, and until then they had to wait its dinging in the cool, morning air. He noticed that their surroundings were smothered in a fog that had drifted in from the sea nearby, and he felt the moisture on his face. His hair was cropped, and he wore his usual dress shirt and bowtie, along with a pair of black pants.

As soon as her saw two young ladies- one with dark violet hair pulled into two enormous pigtails, and the other with startlingly straight aqua hair that was pulled back by an intricate headband, he headed over, bowing slightly. Marina giggled slightly, while Iris just smiled shyly.

"Hi, Dent," said the blunette, before her eyes travelled back over to another boy, who was in the middle of arguing with an annoyed Gary. "Oh, that's Jimmy; I should probably go make sure he doesn't hurt Gary." She laughed again and practically skipped over to him.

"That was a quick greeting," Dent commented, not at all insulted; it was just the way Marina was, in his opinion.

Iris looked down at her feet, and said something so quietly that he had to lean forward.

"I said that she just wants an excuse to flirt with him; she basically told me so herself."

He chuckled quietly at this comment, before offering her his arm; she looked at him doubtfully, and he shrugged.

"It's only polite that a gentleman offers to guide a lady," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Please, Dent, you're not fooling anyone. Iris is _barely_ a lady, and she doesn't need any guidance; she can sniff her way into the classroom."

The words were spat with such venom and contempt that Iris herself cringed, her brown eyes growing unhappy. Dent absolutely hated that look, and he turned, frowning, to the one person who seemed to be able to put it there.

Shooti sneered at the girl, his arms folded. "I mean, look at her," he continued. "Her hillbilly family is like Munchlaxes. They eat, they sleep, and do almost nothing else."

Dent looked again at Iris, who didn't even give a reply. She just stared at her gym shoes, her eyes shimmering a little bit. Shooti snorted when he didn't get a reply.

"And they don't even talk," he continued. "They just stand there, stupid."

"All right, asshole, that's enough!" yelled Marina, marching back over and poking the offender in the chest. "You leave off Iris, she's done nothing to you! Why're you always so mean to her, anyway?"

Shooti huffed, and looked away from the furious blue-eyed girl, before walking away, casting one more derisive look in Iris's direction. Iris still didn't look up, unshed tears just shy of falling down her face.

"Iris?" Dent squeezed her hand, trying his best to reassure her; he could tell she was struggling to keep her composure.

"I'm alright," she said, looking up and forcing a smile onto her face. Her Kibago popped out of her hair suddenly, looking at her in worry.

"Come on, Iris, we all know that's a lie," huffed Marina, placing her hands on her hips. "Honestly, if any other boy in school bugs you, you go crazy on them; they can't hear anything for at least two hours afterward. But you never, ever stand up to Shooti; you just let him walk all over you! I don't get it."

Iris said nothing, once again avoiding eye contact and staring at her shoes. Dent carefully put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into a hug, ignoring the slight embarrassment he felt at doing so. After a few moments of freezing up, Iris wrapped her arms around him, returning it before they pulled away.

"Thanks, you guys," she said, more loudly now. "But I really am fine." The bell sounded, and all the students rushed to the doors, hoping to get inside the building and get to class in time. Iris went on ahead, while Marina stayed a moment, staring thoughtfully at Dent for a few moments.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she sighed, walking into the building and quickly striking up a conversation with Misty. Dent shrugged, following her.

He wondered what she could've meant by that statement.


	6. Polar

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Title: Polar

Characters: Dawn (age 15), Barry (age 16), Silver (age 16), Johanna

Pairings: Dawn/Paul

Summary: The best place to rant is at the dinner table.

* * *

"…and he's so annoying, the way he just sits there with that blank look on his face, and completely ignores me, even though _all_ my questions have to do with the class! Do you know what he said to me, when I asked him if he knew anything about solubility in water? He just said, 'Be quiet, troublesome girl.' Ugh, I can't stand him!"

Barry yawned, poking at his steak and green beans. Their mom ate patiently, listening intently to Dawn while she went on and on about how much she hated Paul, one of the boys in her chemistry class and one of Barry's friends. Personally, he didn't particularly care about Dawn's complaints, and was only pretending to listen, while hoping that his sister would be distraction enough that he wouldn't have to eat his vegetables.

Silver, on the other hand, had barely touched his food, and was sitting staring into space- though Barry could tell, by the slight twitch of his eyebrow, that his adopted brother was extremely irritated by now.

"And then, just the other day, May asked him a question, and he responded to her perfectly normally! I was like, 'Why is does this kid keep on acting so coldly towards me?' Honestly, it reminded me of how Shooti acts toward Iris, only not as bad…"

Barry watched, not paying any attention to what Dawn said, as Silver slowly gathered up his fork and knife and began cutting the meat. His movements were slow and exaggerated- a sign that he would snap at any moment. Barry snickered; he couldn't wait for that moment to come.

Something pushed against his leg, and he looked down to see Glameow, looking up at him hopefully. Glancing quickly at his mom, he grabbed a paper napkin and placed it on the floor, before pushing his green beans onto it. The catlike pokemon shot him an annoyed look, probably wondering why he wouldn't just give her a bit of his steak, before stalking over to the food and beginning to chow down.

Dawn was still going on and on about Paul Shinji, and Barry saw Silver set him fork down deliberately.

"Dawn," he said forcefully, quickly cutting her off. She turned her wide, blue eyes to stare at her brother, as he continued. "Why don't you just cut straight to the disgusting, mushy gushy part where you admit that you love him? Because I'd like to eat my dinner in peace, if you don't mind."

The blunette looked shell-shocked for a moment, while Barry pushed down his fit of laughter. Her mouth was still moving while she looked at Silver, but no words were formed; finally, she just closed it and meekly returned to eating her dinner.

Barry noticed that her face was redder that Silver's hair, and smirked. Now he had blackmail on her.


	7. Overprotective

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Title: Overprotective

Characters: Dawn (age 16), Paul, (age 17), Barry's Empoleon

Pairings: Dawn/Paul

Summary: Barry himself could care less about Dawn's relationships. His Empoleon, on the other hand…

* * *

Dawn sighed, before finally making her decision to leave her hair down, the long locks flowing past her shoulders. Her earrings were two diamond studs, and she had a small silver choker with another diamond on it. It had been a gift from her two brothers one Christmas year. As for the rest of her outfit, she wore a dark blue skirt that fell to her knees, and a pink blouse with a white camisole beneath it. She beamed at her reflection, before a slight padding sound was heard behind her.

She turned; both of her brothers were unlikely to bother her right now, with Silver out on a walk and Barry in back, training his Pokémon. Her mom was out to buy groceries, which left no one in the house. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she caught sight of a familiar Empoleon staring at her in the doorway.

"Uh…" she wasn't sure what to say; she would normally have thought that Empoleon would just have wandered off, but it looked very sure that it wanted to be there. "Shouldn't you be with Barry?"

"Em!" it barked, looking obstinate. Dawn almost laughed at the disapproving look it cast her.

"Well, um," she began, edging past the penguin Pokémon. "I have to go now, Empoleon, so…" she waved, heading down the stairs to the front door, where she stepped outside.

The temperate climate meant another wonderful day; Dawn smiled, humming quietly to herself. To think, just a little while ago, she'd hated Paul with a passion, and now she was dating him. She chuckled quietly to herself, realizing that Silver had been right.

Well, the sooner he decided to get a girlfriend, the better.

Another shuffling sound on the porch behind her; she whirled around, and once again Empoleon was standing there, still frowning. Dawn was beginning to become a tad annoyed by his consistent following her; she didn't really want him around when Paul arrived. The Pokémon once again refused to move, even though she tried her best to push it back inside. A slight cough came from the sidewalk, and she whirled around to see Paul standing there, head cocked to the side.

"Having fun, Troublesome?" he asked, smirking slightly. Dawn scowled at him, quickly stepping away from Empoleon and towards her date.

"Not particularly," she answered. "I should ask the same of you, since you're ten minutes late."

He just shrugged. Dawn had to hide a smile; she could tell that he was trying not to show that he was irritated by her comment. But then, that was Paul; instead of coming up with some flashy retort, he kept it to himself.

She was about to walk up to him, when a blue sphere flew from nowhere and collided with him, knocking him on his back and soaking him at the same time. "Empoleon!" shouted Dawn, now bright red with embarrassment; the penguin Pokémon glowered at Paul, its eyes dark with warning.

Paul sat up slowly and silently, blinking in surprise at Empoleon. He calmly met the gaze of the Pokémon, and Empoleon seemed to relax slightly.

"Oi!" yelled Barry, running around the house. "Has anyone seen my"- he stopped when he spotted the blue Pokémon. "There you are, where've you been?" he yelled. "I'm gonna fine you for this, Empoleon!"

"Empoleon!" barked the Pokémon, folding its wings and looking away. Barry seemed to notice Dawn and Paul for the first time.

"Oh, right," said Barry sniggering. "You guys are going on a _date_. I'm not sure you want to be soaked during said date though, Paul," he added. The plum haired boy fumed silently while Barry trotted back around the house, his Empoleon following obediently. The penguin cast one last dark look at Paul before disappearing around the corner.

Dawn swallowed, glancing at Paul before sliding up next to him. "Sorry about that," she muttered. "Barry's Empoleon has never acted like that before; it's so weird!"

Paul shrugged. "Not really," he said. "I think he just fancies himself as your older brother."


	8. Mismatch

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Title: Mismatch

Characters: Lyra (age 16), Drew (age 16)

Pairings: Lyra/Silver, May/Drew

Summary: A simple conversation can mean a lot.

* * *

"Hey there, Stat."

Lyra felt a prick of annoyance as the chartreuse haired boy sat next to her. Couldn't she have at least five minutes with her own thoughts? The world seemed to desire her harassment more than anything else; sitting on a bench after school shouldn't make her a magnet.

Of course, her life had been anything but quiet lately. Despite the fact that she preferred to avoid most people, she already had actual friends here- people who seemed to take her moods in stride. Her evaluation of them told her that they were alright, though some of them were extremely annoying.

Such as the previously mentioned green haired boy next to her.

"I still don't understand the dumb nickname, Cabbage Patch," she said dully. Drew only chuckled a little, leaning back a little and staring up at the sky. In contrast to the usually beautiful weather of New Bark Town, it was actually drizzling slightly that day.

Instead of replying to her previous statement, he asked a question. Lyra felt herself grow more annoyed than before; she'd had enough of her girl friends' chatter that day already. She didn't need to have a discussion with the school's number one playboy.

"So, how're you liking it here, Stat?"

"It's fine, I guess," muttered Lyra. She pushed her hair behind her ears; normally, she'd have been due for a trim a while ago, but seeing how other hairstyles had looked on her new companions, she had decided to try growing it out for once. And it was already getting in her way.

"You know, I still remember you," he commented. When Lyra raised an eyebrow, he chuckled.

"The snowball fight."

There it was yet again- why did every single person in this school seem to feel the need to mention it around her? Was it because she had defied the laws of gender barriers? Oh, yeah, like no one had ever done _that_ before.

"I must say, I was pretty impressed by your aiming skills," he said. "I was also amazed by your battling skills. Man, if your Dragonite's that tough, I can't wait to see your other Pokémon."

"They're all I had," she responded, and immediately cursed herself. The words had slipped out before she could stop them, and now Drew's eyes were widening.

"What does that mean?" he asked, sounding concerned. Lyra scowled and looked away, not particularly wanting to explain right then. She decided on changing the subject.

"I can hardly believe that some people are my friends."

"What do you think of all of us? I was going to ask that," he added.

Lyra brooded over the question for a few moments. "I guess I'll start with most annoying," she muttered, and he smirked. "There's Dawn; she just goes on and on, from subject to subject. I swear, her mouth never stops moving! And then she won't stop talking about shopping, and fashion, and all things that are hated by me.

"And then we have _you_, who seems to enjoy being such a show off, and also seems to really want a certain brunette coordinator to notice you. By the way, I noticed the other day that said coordinator and yourself kept glancing at each other when you thought no one was looking. And I know that you claim you've been best friends as long as you can remember, but I really don't see how you can just not do anything about your all-too-obvious feelings for her."

Drew recovered surprisingly fast. "Wow, I don't think I've ever met anyone this honest," he chuckled.

Ignoring the comment, she continued. "Next up, we have Marina. Dawn's spiritual twin, I'd say; not to mention it's Jimmy this, and Jimmy that. I think the rest is implied.

"Of course, then there's Barry Jun, who I cannot stand, to say the least. I know Pokémon are great, and battling is great, but is that really what occupies his entire life? Does he really need to give everyone a play-by-play on every single battle he's ever fought in his life? His Pokémon are tough, I'll give him that.

"May's okay, I suppose. Her enthusiasm sometimes seems a little bit over the top. Oh, and she pretends to make fun of you while in reality obviously admires your contest style, not to mention how she thinks you're hot."

At that, Drew's eyebrows shot up. "She thinks I'm hot?" he asked, actually looking dazed.

Lyra had to resist the temptation to elbow him in the ribs. "No duh, slack-jawed idiot," she said loudly, getting his attention again. "Are you bored by now, or shall I continue?"

"No, no, by all means," he said gesturing. "I find your cynicism entertaining."

"Well then," she said. "Dent's gentlemanly ways make me feel sick; and the problem is, I can't even tell if he's faking it. Shooti's just a downright jealous idiot; even I can tell the real reason why he bullies Iris so much."

"Really?" asked Drew; Lyra rolled her eyes inwardly; she'd think that he would at least know what she meant.

"Never mind. I actually really like Misty and Zoey; they remind me more of myself than most people. Oh, and Kenny should just freaking ask Zoey out already. I don't have an opinion of Iris, apart from the fact that she's a complete mood-swinger. One minute she's quiet and shy, the next she explodes in your face. Let's see, who else?... Ash is way overly optimistic, even though I like that he treats his Pokemon nicely." Lyra found herself subconsciously shortening her evaluations; she was beginning to want to just go home.

"Leaf is… average, really, and Paul looks like he needs to get laid." That comment made Drew burst out laughing, clutching his ribs as he bent over. Lyra didn't get what was so amusing; she'd just been stating a fact. "Not even going to talk about Gary… his ego's the size of Mount Silver."

"Speaking of Silver, you haven't mentioned him," said Drew casually, but Lyra noticed something in his eyes. Her own narrowed slightly, but she continued giving her honest opinion.

"To be honest…" she began slowly, for the first time feeling uncertainty. "I'm not sure what to think of him. He's a lot like Paul, only he isn't… he seems darker, somehow, like he's hiding a lot and lets it out during his Pokemon battles- or just by spiting other people. He just doesn't strike me as the type who opens up much, even though I think he really does care for Barry and Dawn."

Drew looked disappointed. "Anything else?"

Lyra glared at him, suspicious. There _was_ more, actually, but she'd rather be beaten up by her own Dragonite than say it out loud. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Silver's annoyed by you, let's just say that," he answered.

Strangely, Lyra felt oddly pleased to hear that. "Oh, is he?" she asked, fighting the grin that threatened to come on her face. It gave her expression an odd, twisted feel.

"Silver's annoyed by a lot of things, but especially you. It's not just because you beat him, either… more like you did it without being cruel to your Pokémon. He never mentions you name, and whenever one of us says it, I swear his eyes go an even darker red than before."

Lyra didn't respond to this. She hadn't even spoken to Silver since confronting him after their battle on her first day. She'd thought she felt anger and dislike for him, but now it was something else.

The will to understand. He was an enigma to her, after all.

"I'd better head home; my mom can be paranoid," she replied eventually. She stood and walked away, leaving a thoughtful green-haired boy sitting beneath a tree. The drizzle continued on.


	9. Spare

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Title: Spare

Characters: All previously mentioned, around the age of eight.

Pairings: Gary/Leaf

Summary: The legendary snowball fight.

* * *

The little white flakes gently drifted through the air, giving the atmosphere an enchanted feel to it. Even the most miniscule gust of wind caused them to swirl about like fairies before settling back into simply falling down.

A loud shout interrupted this tranquility, and Gary paused with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Noticing how silly he probably looked, he withdrew it quickly and glanced in the direction of the ruckus. The jungle gym was half buried in snow, and kids from all over the neighborhood were clambering over it, squealing with delight. The main commotion, however, came from two that he recognized from his second grade elementary class.

"Oh, so you think that boys are so much better than girls, huh?" screeched Misty Kazumi, her eyes burning with rage at the boy in front of her.

"Yeah, I do think that!" yelled Ash Satoshi back.

"Well, you're wrong! Anything boys can do, girls can do better!"

"Oh please, Misty," interrupted a newcomer- Drew. He flicked his hair, and his best friend May bounded up behind him, looking between the arguing sides in confusion. "Everyone knows that girls can't do anything right."

May looked outraged, and in an instant was at Misty's side, shouting abuse at the green haired boy. Gary wandered over as more and more people gathered, many joining the argument over which gender was superior.

"…then I say we settle this now!" shouted Misty, her face even darker than her hair, which was partially hidden by a knit hat.

"Snowball fight, boys versus girls," Ash agreed, still glaring at her, while she looked ready to throw one at him right then. More jeers and threats erupted as the challenge was issued, and both sides hurried over to opposite ends of the playground. Gary smirked to himself, pleased to get the chance to fling a snowball in Leaf's face. She'd been scoffing his showing off for weeks; it was time for pay back.

"Okay, so here's what we're gonna do…" Ash explained the plan, with most of the boys nodding enthusiastically. Silver just snorted and actually left to sit on a bench, crossing his arms in the process. Paul, who was usually credited with having much the same attitude, rolled his eyes but went along with it.

Gary couldn't help but notice that two of their number were hissing at each other furiously. One he recognized as Khoury, who was desperately pulling on the other boy's arm… and the other boy lifted his head angrily.

Except it wasn't another boy. It was a female human being, no less. Their enemy.

Barry Jun quickly noticed and pointed. "Hey!" he yelled. "What's a _girl_ doing here?"

Khoury looked nervously at all the angry faces, and stepped in front of her seemingly to protect her- and was promptly pushed out of the way, landing face down in the snow.

"My name's Lyra Kotone; I'm his cousin," she said. "As to what I'm doing here, I do what I want."

"Lyra," Khoury hissed at her. "You have to be on the other team; you're not good enough to"-

His response was a snowball to the face. Several of them blinked in shock, Gary included; he hadn't even seen her make the snowball!

"Go play with your dollies or something!" came another voice, from back- Shooti. He too received a snowball to the face, courtesy of Lyra Kotone.

She glared at them. "I'll punch you all next," she snarled. Several boys looked ready to take her up on her offer, but Gary decided to step in, waving them away.

"Guys, guys, chill," he said, before grinning at Lyra. "I get the feeling you're going to be a big help." Her gray eyes widened slightly at this, and she mumbled something incoherent.

"Who here has Pokémon?" asked Ash; only a few raised their hands, but he shrugged. "That's fine; they're going to help us out here. Paul, have your Turtwig hide up in the trees somewhere; he can shoot razor leaf at some of the girls."

The plum haired boy scowled slightly at his Pokémon being ordered around by another trainer, but quickly let the turtle out of his pokeball.

Gary shrugged a bit and released his Squirtle, which looked up at him happily. "Squirt!" he squeaked, moving his tail up and down. Gary felt a wave of fondness rush over him, and he squatted down a moment and patted his shell.

"We need some help, Squirtle," he said. Looking up at the boy in the red cap, he said, "Hey, Ash, I'm just going to have Squirtle cover me. That okay?"

"Fine with me."

Gary grinned inwardly to himself. Not only could he nail Leaf with a snowball, he could spray her with his Squirtle's water gun too. The thought of seeing her shocked face as he gloated over her victory was enticing.

"All right, everyone, battle stations!" bellowed Ash, causing most of them to scurry away to their assigned spots. Gary paused slightly, smirking at his friend.

"You still watch Kids Next Door or something, Ashy-boy?"

"Just shut up and get ready, Gary," muttered the raven haired boy, scowling heavily. "It sounded cool to say it."

"Whatever you say, Ashy-boy."

"And stop calling me that!"

Gary just laughed out loud, and swaggered away, leaving Ash fuming. It was too easy to get the kid riled up- hence the reason why they were having a snowball fight in the first place.

He sprinted over to crouch beneath one of the slides. No one would ever think to hide here, as it was nearly encased in snow… enclosed from the outside world. From here, he'd be able to have a vantage point in order to see exactly what was going on, as well as launch a few surprise attacks.

There was a small ruffling sound beside him, and he turned to tell Squirtle to be quiet… and was surprised to see someone else here.

"Eep!" they squeaked, before he got a better look at her. Metallic brown hair, gray eyes (much like Lyra's, he realized).

"Leaf," he growled, at the same time that she rolled her eyes and muttered, "Gary."

"What are you doing here?" they asked in unison.

"I asked you first!" they said, again at the exact same time. Leaf sighed, adjusting her hat so that she could push her hair behind her ears.

"Okay," she admitted, holding something behind her back. "I was looking for you…"

Gary raised an eyebrow at this. Did she want to join the boys' team too, like Lyra had?

"…so that I could pummel you with this."

The next thing Gary felt was ice cold on his face. He was momentarily blinded, and blinked while Leaf giggled.

"That was too easy!" she said, still laughing. Her mirth was cut short when she received the same sensation.

Gary smirked proudly. "My dad taught me all about karma, and you just got yours."

Angrily, she flung more snow on his face, and he retaliated in kind; they were soon enough shoving snow at each other and laughing at the same time. Shouting told them that the snowball fight itself had begun, and a few thumps were heard as several missiles collided with the slide.

Leaf then chose his moment of distraction to tackle him. "Oof!" he gasped; she was strong! Then another laugh escaped him… oh god, was she _tickling _him?

Well, he'd have to respond in kind, and lightly tickled back. It wasn't long before they were gasping for breath, lying in the snow for a while. At least, until he took the opportunity to dump more snow on her.

A sudden yell closer to them made them both jump towards each other, and when he turned to look at her the inevitable happened.

He couldn't believe it. He was _kissing_ her, the girl who he'd thought was his sworn enemy. Still, it was almost… nice, having her so close.

"Squirtle?..." his Squirtle stared at the two of them, scratching the side of its head.

Then realization of that fear all little kids have took hold of them, and they both sprang out of the hiding place, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH! COOTIES!"

Both were simultaneously hit in the head with flying projectiles.

In the end, victory was undecided; being as energized as they were, they managed to keep it up for almost an hour (May's dad thoroughly entertained the other parents present by commentating on the fight, as though it were a Pokémon match). Eventually, all of them tired enough to head home and have a quick hot chocolate. No winner was determined, and Ash and Misty made up as they always did.

And Gary Oak subconsciously resolved to ask Leaf out in high school.


	10. Wearisome

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Title: Wearisome

Characters: Delia (age 26), Giovanni (age 28)

Pairings: Delia/Giovanni

Summary: Visiting an old enemy rotting in a prison cell is not something a mother should be doing. But Delia needs to know why.

* * *

"Right this way, ma'am," said the guard, his voice neutral. His face clearly showed that he thought she was crazy for wanting to visit one of their 'top priority prisoners', but he didn't question her. After all, it wasn't his job.

The cells were surprisingly empty of convicts, but then Saffron City's crime rate had decreased dramatically in the past few years. The city had been noisy, as always, and people had been either running or biking everywhere, talking and calling out to each other. Since the only vehicle transportation allowed was the buses that ran from city to city or the magnetic trains that ran throughout Kanto and Johto, it wasn't as loud as it could be.

Now, however, all of the city sounds were silenced by the walls of the jail. The guard stopped beside another cell, and Delia drew in a deep breath, knowing that this confrontation had been coming for a while.

"Are you sure it's alright to go in, ma'am?"

She nodded, and the cell door opened; the person sitting on the prison bed lifted his head slightly, looking unsurprised. She swallowed a bit as the door slammed shut behind her, the guard striding away so that their conversation could be more private. She held the small communication device in her hand, in case she needed to call him back, but her hand was shaking. Steadying herself she strode over to the wall opposite the prisoner.

There were a few moments of silence between the two. Then, finally, the man spoke.

"Have you come to gloat?"

Delia glanced at him, sighing at his words. "No."

Another long pause.

"How are they?" His voice was rough and uncaring, like he was only asking because he didn't have anything else to say.

Delia placed her hands on her hips, affronted by his offhanded tone. "Your _sons_," she said, "Are just fine. They're both becoming excellent trainers. Ash is a bright boy by now- he's even gotten his first Pokemon."

"And the… other one?"

Why couldn't he treat him like a human being? "Johanna adopted Silver," said Delia, her tone considerably colder. "After she found him in the street, half-starved."

Giovanni snorted. "I should've known; that woman always had a soft heart."

"You did too, once," reminded Delia. She felt much sadder, all of a sudden, as she stared at him. His black eyes were still avoiding hers, she noticed. Did that mean…?

"What happened?" she whispered, despair filling her up. This was why she came here, really. "Why did you suddenly decide that all you wanted was power? Why be so cold-hearted to you own child?"

This time he laughed. It wasn't the same, carefree one that she used to know; now it was empty. It meant nothing.

"There's nothing else in the world," he said simply, his scorn making her flinch. "Power is all there is. The rest is an illusion."

"How do you know that power itself isn't the illusion?"

There was a flash of surprise in his eyes, just for a moment, before he looked away again, chuckling quietly. "You always knew how to catch me by surprise."

Delia felt her face heat up, slightly. Even after everything that had happened, he could still make her blush? She shook it off, but her feelings of betrayal were quickly wearing away.

Giovanni… none of her friends knew that he was actually Ash's father. The fact that Silver's father was the same person was slightly more well-known, but no one could guess that Ash and Silver were half brothers. They acted nothing alike, and Silver always acted like he cared about nothing.

Except his adopted siblings. And maybe, just maybe, his adopted mother.

She didn't even notice that Giovanni had stood until he spoke again, making her jump. "I want to meet him."

"Want to meet who?" Despite the question, Delia felt dread seize her. She was sure she knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Ash Satoshi. My son."

"You will _not_ see him!" she cried fiercely; he actually looked taken aback for a moment. She stumbled back, away from him, anger and a mother's protectiveness flowing through her. There was no way that Ash could ever find out that Giovanni was his father; it would crush his spirit, and leave him in shock and denial.

"I don't care about your sentimental guarding over him," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "I want to see him."

"Is a picture good enough for you?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. She dug into her purse, pulling out a small photograph, and thrust it at him.

"Satisified?" He studied it intensely for a few moments, as though he wanted to memorize every detail of his son's face, before he nodded again. Just as she was about to put the photograph away, he grabbed her wrist and smirked at her, making heat flood her face again.

"Anything else you wanted to say?" he asked. She ignored the torn feeling in her heart as she ripped her wrist from his grasp, stepping away and pressing a button on the communicator.

"No."


End file.
